Do You Capitalize “God”?

Do You Capitalize “Godly”?

Hillary M. from Las Vegas wanted to know if she should capitalize the word like “godly” and “godsend.”

"Godly" and other words that start with "god" are almost always lowercase. Occasionally, religious publications choose to capitalize words that start with "god," but a wide variety of style guides I found that address the issue in some way (1, 2, 3, 4) recommend using lowercase for words such as "godless," "godliness," "godly," and “godsend.”

You were sent by God.

You are a godsend.

“Godmother” and “godfather” are also kept lowercase.

Should You Capitalize "He" When it Refers to God?

Stacey from Boise, Idaho, wanted to know whether she should capitalize the pronouns “he,” “his,” and “him” when they refer to God.

I have certainly heard the rule that pronouns referring to a deity should be capitalized, but the style guides I checked (including some with a religious bent) recommend using lowercase and note that some versions of the Bible (including the King James Version and the New International Version) use lowercase pronouns to refer to God (3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Ultimately, it's a style choice, but the most common style seems to be to keep them lowercase.

Do You Capitalize the Words “Atheist” and “Agnostic”?

Jessica from Las Vegas, Nevada, asked whether she should capitalize the word "atheist."

The names of religions and their followers are capitalized. So you capitalize the words “Christianity” and “Christians,” “Buddhism” and “Buddhists,” “Hinduism” and “Hindus,” and so on. The followers of Islam are called Muslims, and again, both words are capitalized.

On the other hand, words that describe people who don’t follow a religion, such as "atheist" or "agnostic," are not capitalized. They aren’t names as much as they are descriptions of a philosophy.

Do You Capitalize the Word “Bible”?

The names of religious books such as the Bible, Talmud, and Koran are also capitalized, unless they’re being used generically. For example, when you’re referring to the Christian Bible, “bible” is capitalized; but if you’re calling something your grammar bible, then you’re using “bible” generically, and it should be lowercase.